Sunday, April 24, 2005
What Pacifism?
In the last paragraph of his El Salvador essay Rick Steves complains about pacifists being assassinated. While assassinations are justly condemned, there are a few things wrong with this complaint. First, he omits assassination attempts against non-pacifists. Examples include the Marxist-Leninist Oswald's successful murder of JFK or the Soviet Union's failed attempt to murder the pope.
Second, Steves isn't aware that at least a few pacifists on his list really weren't pacifists. John Lennon donated money for the Irish Republican Army. Gandhi praised Subhas Chandra Rose, who organized an Indian army with Nazi and Japanese support to fight the British. Gandhi said "I would not flinch from sacrificing a million lives for India's liberty!" Unfortunately, this estimate turned out to be accurate, only it was fellow Indians doing the killing, not the British.
Rick Steves himself is only a pacifist when it's time to oppose American military action. He complains about Ronald Reagan preventing the FMLN from winning El Salvador's civil war (actually it was Jimmy Carter who first provided aid against the FMLN). Steves says nothing about FMLN's practice of murdering mayors or shooting voters. The United Nations said that FMLN practiced terrorism.
In other writings Rick Steves condoned violence. He removed a paragraph from his web site sympathizing with a Palestinian suicide bomber. He provided justification for the attacks on the World Trade Center.
Steves seems completely unaware that Marxism goes with violence, not religion. He reveals his real goals when he says Cuba had a successful revolution. Non-pacifist Fidel Castro never had more than 3,000 followers when he fought Batista. The results of Castro's rule are a complete failure in terms of morality, material prosperity, and personal freedom. When Rick Steves says that Castro's Cuba is a success we should be grateful. Steves has revealed what his real goals are.
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In the last paragraph of his El Salvador essay Rick Steves complains about pacifists being assassinated. While assassinations are justly condemned, there are a few things wrong with this complaint. First, he omits assassination attempts against non-pacifists. Examples include the Marxist-Leninist Oswald's successful murder of JFK or the Soviet Union's failed attempt to murder the pope.
Second, Steves isn't aware that at least a few pacifists on his list really weren't pacifists. John Lennon donated money for the Irish Republican Army. Gandhi praised Subhas Chandra Rose, who organized an Indian army with Nazi and Japanese support to fight the British. Gandhi said "I would not flinch from sacrificing a million lives for India's liberty!" Unfortunately, this estimate turned out to be accurate, only it was fellow Indians doing the killing, not the British.
Rick Steves himself is only a pacifist when it's time to oppose American military action. He complains about Ronald Reagan preventing the FMLN from winning El Salvador's civil war (actually it was Jimmy Carter who first provided aid against the FMLN). Steves says nothing about FMLN's practice of murdering mayors or shooting voters. The United Nations said that FMLN practiced terrorism.
In other writings Rick Steves condoned violence. He removed a paragraph from his web site sympathizing with a Palestinian suicide bomber. He provided justification for the attacks on the World Trade Center.
Steves seems completely unaware that Marxism goes with violence, not religion. He reveals his real goals when he says Cuba had a successful revolution. Non-pacifist Fidel Castro never had more than 3,000 followers when he fought Batista. The results of Castro's rule are a complete failure in terms of morality, material prosperity, and personal freedom. When Rick Steves says that Castro's Cuba is a success we should be grateful. Steves has revealed what his real goals are.
